Rock, Paper, Rexxar

With the nerfs that came in Hearthstone Patch 11.1.1 we are seeing one of the most diverse metas in terms of diversity since possibly Journey to Un'Goro. Each of the nine classes has a viable deck(s) that contends on the competitive ladder and tournaments alike. Let's take a look at the most popular archetypes being run by each class from Rank 5 through Legend as of June 12th and see where they stand.

9 Classes, 9 Archetypes, 9 Ways to Compete

As you can see, the most popular archetypes are all hovering around that 50% win rate mark with a couple exceeding that by a comfortable margin. Our Paladin overlords continue to dominate the meta with Odd Paladin posting the highest win rate among the most popular class archetypes at 54.3%. The Odd Paladin decks are more aggressive than the other popular archetypes and will most likely continue to see play. Paladin deck lists are relatively cheap and the speed of the games make it a popular choice for those trying to climb the ladder quickly.

Wocking Around The Bottom

Shudderwock has been a card and part of a deck archetype that has people on each side of the fence. The archetype harkens back to pre-nerf Quest Rogue with their seemingly being no counter play. If they get there, they just win. As with old Quest Rogue, it does not perform up to its popularity, clocking in at paltry win rate of 48.2%. Pulling off infinite Shudderwocks feels great, but if you see your ranking drop, there is a slightly less popular Shaman archetype that performs much better against the field. We will touch on it a bit later.

The above deck lists are the most popular lists from Rank 5 through Legend for the most popular deck archetypes for each class.

Please note that there was some insufficient data from Ranks 5 through legend for Big Spell Mage and Quest Warrior deck lists and how they perform against the field. Those match ups show up as 0%.

Ro Sham Bo

The top lists perform similarly to their overall archetype win rates when competing with the rest of the popular archetype field.

As touched on before, the top Odd Paladin list and the top Recruit Hunter list perform well against the field and has an above 50% win rate against their own archetypes. This consistency has solidified them in Tier 1 for climbing and performance.

The Quest Warrior list comes charging in with a 81.9% win rate against Odd Paladin. With Blood Razor, Brawl, and Warpath, they are able to clean up the large boards Odd Pally is able to muster and seal the game with the Ragnaros hero power. But on the flip side, it falters against the a large portion of the field, especially Recruit Hunter, with a sad 23% win rate.

Another contender that always seems to find space in every meta is Combo Priest. Posting win rates of 60.3% and 60.6% against Recruit Hunter and Odd Paladin respectively. What brings it down is the paltry 27.6% win rate against Big Spell Mage and a 27.7% win rate against Miracle Rogue. Even then, if you can get a minion to stick to the board, Divine Spirit and Inner Fire can eek out that victory against even the worst match ups.

These kind of discrepancies speak to how difficult the climb can be when your fellow ladder competitors are trying to counter the meta. The ladder meta is fickle and can change weekly, daily or even hourly. Rock, Paper, Rexxar is real.

Step Aside Shudderwock, Genn Returns

Since patch 11.1.1, Even Paladin has left us, but Genn Greymane has found a new home with Shaman. While Shudderwock Shaman is the most popular Shaman archetype being played, Even Shaman has propelled itself to the top in terms of performance and is hanging around as a Tier 1 archetype. This archetype is posting a 55.5% win rate against the field in Rank 5 thru Legend and is definitely one that can help you climb those ranks.

Find Your Rock

With a meta that features playable archetypes from each class, your climb to a rank floor or legend can seem tenuous. Depending on the time of day, you can face a varying ladder meta that may counter that deck you are trying to grind with. If you are seeing a trend in your games, find a deck that has favorable match ups for what you are facing. When Odd Paladin is keeping you down, throw Quest Warrior a bone. If Taunt Druid is building walls you can't fight through, give Miracle Rogue a shot. Find the rock that will crush your opponent's scissor.